Morning light crept through the thin curtains of the inn.
The city slowly woke up.
Kael was already standing by the window.
Lira sat on the bed, watching him.
"You decided," she said softly.
He didn't speak.
But she felt it clearly through the bond
Yes.
The Seer finished packing his few belongings.
"Mountains or coast?" he asked again.
Kael turned.
His eyes were steady.
Lira felt the answer before the Seer did.
"Closer to the heir," she said.
The Seer studied them both.
"You understand what that means?"
Lira stood and moved beside Kael.
"It means we stop running."
Kael's intent followed
And we stop letting others choose for us.
The Seer nodded slowly.
"Then we head east.
Toward the Black Ridge."
Lira's heart beat faster.
"I've heard stories about that place…"
The Seer replied calmly:
"Most stories end badly.
That's why the heir watches it closely."
They left the inn quietly.
The streets were busy now.
Merchants shouting.
People laughing.
But Lira felt the undercurrent.
Eyes still followed them.
As they reached the city gate, the same guard from before looked at them again.
Longer this time.
"Traveling early," he said.
"Yes," Lira answered.
The guard hesitated then waved them through.
Outside the city, the road split.
One path wide and safe.
The other narrow, climbing toward dark hills.
The Seer pointed to the narrow one.
"That's our way."
Lira looked at the hills.
They felt heavy.
Like something waiting.
She took a deep breath and squeezed Kael's hand.
"Whatever happens… we face it together."
Kael squeezed back.
Always.
They stepped onto the narrow path.
Almost immediately, the air changed.
Quieter.
Colder.
After a short distance, Lira felt it again.
A pull.
Stronger than before.
"Kael… he knows."
The Seer didn't deny it.
"Yes. You chose the direction he didn't want you to."
Kael's jaw tightened.
Good.
The wind shifted suddenly.
Clouds rolled in fast over the hills.
Thunder rumbled far away.
Lira shivered.
"This feels like a warning."
The Seer answered:
"No.
This is a challenge."
Ahead, the path narrowed even more.
At the base of the Black Ridge
A single figure waited.
Tall.
Still.
Not hiding.
Lira's breath caught.
"Kael… someone's blocking the path."
Kael stepped forward slightly, shielding her.
The bond pulsed—alert and sharp.
The figure lifted his head.
Even from a distance
They could feel it.
This one was different.
Stronger.
Purposeful.
The Seer's voice dropped.
"That's not a collector.
Not a Whisperer."
Lira whispered:
"Then who?"
The Seer answered with quiet certainty:
"The heir has sent a champion."
The figure began to walk toward them.
Slow.
Confident.
The storm above the ridge growled again.
Kael didn't move.
We don't turn back.
Lira felt it and nodded.
The road behind them felt gone already.
The storm ahead waited.